Vespera's heart was pounding. In the span of a breath, all the warmth and sleepiness that had wrapped around her vanished. A creeping dread replaced everything.
On the television, a variety show continued playing. The celebrities were playing games and laughing. But down on the carpet, where Vespera's phone had fallen, it felt like something dark and rotten was lurking.
Vespera sat frozen for a solid minute. Then, she took a deep breath and picked up her phone. Her pulse was racing so loudly it felt like it was echoing in her skull. Still, she unlocked her phone again.
The phone still showed the same horrifying screen as it had just now. There were four severed heads, lined up neatly on a rack of mushrooms.
Vespera hadn't been ready the first time it had flashed on the screen, so it hit her like a punch to the chest. She believed she wasn't a coward, but she wasn't brave enough to face such a horrifying scene.
Even though she knew what to expect now, it didn't help. Her scalp still tingled, and a chill ran down her spine.
The heads all had their eyes closed, and blood streaked across their faces. As Vespera looked closer, she realized that they were Drake and the two women who were with him. The other was another woman who was known as Sabrina's friend.
They were all Belinda's people. And Belinda wasn't even a real identity. It was just a name passed from one puppet to another. The current holder had been Sabrina.
And this picture was sent by the mastermind. The mastermind had killed everyone and used their heads as mushroom cultivation stumps. This person was utterly insane.
Vespera didn't reply to the message. After all, the message was clear. It was a threat, a warning, and a declaration of war. It was a promise that the bloodbath was drawing closer to her doorstep.
Vespera saved the picture. Her first impulse was to give Dominic a call, but before she could click, she remembered that he had returned to the Reid residence. If she called and he rushed over, his parents might get suspicious again. So, she decided to talk to him about it the next day.
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